Sick
by HorribleTrash
Summary: The camp falls terribly sick, apart from Max, David and Gwen. The camp is a disaster, and they have to call the ambulance and the police. As Gwen cares for the not-so-sick children, they figure out the cause of the problem. However, more than the issue is uncovered. EXTREME ANGST ALERT! More chapters? I don't know.


Max's stomach growled. He looked down at his food before scowling at it and scraping it onto Nikki's plate. She happily accepted, downing the food quickly.

"This is sooo good! Are you sure you don't want any, Max?"

"Yeah. Not hungry."

"You haven't even tried it yet! Come on! One bite!"

"I'm fine. I don't want any. If you like it so much, just eat it!"

"Come on, you've barely eaten anything recently!" Nikki said. "I don't want to be your mom but you should really eat something! And this food is actually good for once!"

My mother wouldn't dare let me eat that. Max thought to himself. It's literally potatoes. I'll get fat. Then I'll disappoint her again. Would that be that bad? Yeah it probably will, like last time. But I'm so hungry! Ugh, I should have eaten at least some more of that trail mix. I gave, what, three quarters of the pack to Nikki? I don't know. I only ate some. I can eat just a little-

"MAX!"

"What?!" Max asked, jolting up.

"I've been calling your name for a while!"

"Sorry. Must've blanked out."

"Are you feeling alright?" Nikki asked. "We can tell David if you're not feeling well."

"I'm FINE!" Max said, slamming his fork into the table.

"Is everything alright there?" David asked.

"YES!" Max scowled.

"Good! Let's get to our activity for today!"

Suddenly, it started to rain. Max sighed in relief.

"Uh... no problem! We'll save that for later!" David said, cheerfully. "How about some arts and crafts?"

"Woah! Nikki, you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm- HMPH!" Nikki vomited on the floor.

"I don't feel so well..." Neil moaned, bending down on the ground.

"DAVID! GWEN! I THINK EVERYONE IS DYING!"

"What's wrong?!" David asked, rushing into the room.

"Everyone's vomiting! Oh shit, take off Space Kid's helmet! Quick!"

Gwen pulled the helmet off, and Space kid panted in the fresh air, the vomit falling to the ground.

"Oh my- what happened?!" David asked, patting a vomiting Nikki on the back.

"I don't know! It was all going fine until suddenly Nikki collapsed! Then she started vomiting and so did everyone."

"This is terrible! Max, help me get everyone to the med-bay!" David said, picking up Arid.

Max helped Neil up, Nikki still retching onto the ground. "Can you stand?"

Neil nodded weakly.

"Follow them." Max said, patting Nikki's back. He felt her chest contract tightly, and something felt wrong. He noticed the vomit pooling up, but reddish brown streaks all over it.

"...DAAAAVIIIID!" Max yelled.

"Just a second, Max!" David yelled.

"NIKKI IS VOMITING BLOOD!" Max screamed. "A LOT OF BLOOD!"

David came rushing over. "Oh my god..."

"Nikki! Nikki can you hear me?" Max asked. "Nod if you can hear me!"

Nikki's head bobbed slightly, before a large crack was heard. She screamed, before she wheezed, her stomach empty for anything to vomit out. Max carefully felt her back, his eyes widening as he touched the front of her ribs.

"Holy fuck! She- she dislocated her rib!"

David pulled out his phone, almost dropping it.

"Hello, 911, what is your emergency?"

"Uh, this girl, she dislocated her rib! You gotta help, quick, she's vomited blood, oh god!"

"Where are you right now?"

"Uh... Camp Campbell! Oh god, please hurry, she's in a really bad shape."

"Alright, we've sent some people on the way."

"Nikki stay awake!" Max yelled.

"Stay on the phone with me, okay? What's your name?"

"D-David, ma'am."

"Alright, who is with you right now?"

"Uhh, the vomiting girl and another camper. The rest of the people have fallen sick apart from my co-worker and the other person."

"Alright, what is noticeable about her condition?"

"Uh well..."

"SHE'S VOMITING BLOOD, HER BOTTOM RIGHT RIB IS STICKING OUT HER FRONT, AND SHE CANT HOLD HERSELF UP! I'M LITERALLY CARRYING HER!" Max screamed.

"Do you know what might be the cause of the problem?"

"Uh... no. Do you think it was the hamster attack?"

"No, I was there for that." Max said. "I've been around all of you for the past month!"

"Oh... that leads us no where."

"Hey, Nikki, stay up!"

"Are the rest of the people like this?" The woman over the phone said.

"No, I don't think so. Gwen isn't calling for help. She seems to be the worst-"

"The food!" Max blurted out. "It has to be the food! I gave all my food to Nikki within the past few days! That's why she's so sick!"

"So it seems the food has been poisoned?"

"Yes! I always give my food to Nikki, which means she's twice as sick as everyone else. For fucks sake I shouldn't have done that!" Max yelled. "Oh, I'm sorry Nikki! I'm so sorry! Nikki? Stay awake Nikki! Come on!"

"She's falling asleep!"

"Get her to stay up." The woman on the phone said. "The ambulance is arriving shortly."

"Nikki! Nikki stay awake for just a little longer! Just a few more minutes, alright?"

"There's no one that comes to Camp Cambell apart from the bus that drops off children." David said. "There is literally no speed limit."

"She- NIKKI DAMNIT DON'T SLEEP! They'll be here soon, then you can sleep, okay? Stay awake a little longer."

Nikki groaned.

"No, don't make any noise! Alright, just stay awake and be quiet. Don't move!"

"The ambulance is here!" The woman said. "Which part of the camp are you in?"

"The mess hall! It's right near the entrance, the big log building near the flag."

"You hear that Nikki? That's sirens! Ambulance sirens! They're here to heal you! Just stay awake long enough for them to get to us!" Max said.

Men in white coats burst in, taking Nikki with them. They gave her some sort of painkiller, and immediately pulled her into the van and left. The police shortly arrived after.

Max was questioned about everything he knew.

After a large bout of questions, David leaned over Max.

"Maaaax..."

"What?"

"I'm glad you're not poisoned, but why haven't you been eating recently?"

"I've been eating some, just not a lot. I have a small stomach."

David sighed. "I know you're lying."

Max's head snapped up. "I am not lying!" He lied.

"Space Kid has a lot of dietary requirements. He barely eats anything that we feed you. Which means you haven't been eating ANYTHING for the past few days." David said, concerned. "Don't be shy, Max. Things happen."

"I don't want to talk about it." He mumbled.

"You have to eat something! You're going to be sick! You're going to die at this rate! Look at you." David lifted Max's jacket over his head. "You're a skeleton!"

Max grabbed his jacket, fumbling with it before pulling it over his head. "Shut up."

"Max, I'm glad your not poisoned like the other campers, but please don't starve yourself. I could see your ribs through your shirt!"

"Can you FUCK OFF?" Max yelled. "Stop fucking bothering me, okay? I'm fine! I'm okay! I know what I'm doing! I just don't want to disappoint my-"

His eyes widened as his mouth clamped shut. He had said too much.

"Max..." David said. "If someone is telling you to do something, you have a right to say no. It's your body. You get to choose what happens to it. This isn't healthy."

"SHUT UP! I SAID, I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT!"

"MAX!" David yelled. "I CARE ABOUT YOU, OKAY? DON'T STARVE YOURSELF! IT'S FUCKING UNHEALTHY AND-"

Max sniffled. He sat on the chair, placing his hands over his ears and tucked his knees near his chest.

"Shut up." He whispered, voice noticeably cracking. "Shut up, shut up, shut up."

"Max, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to raise my voice. Please, listen to me."

Max's hands remained held over his ears.

"Max, listen to me." David said, placing a hand on his hair.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Max screamed. His eyes were red, tears making clear lines down his face. He looked scared.

"You're not okay." David said.

"I'm not okay." Max repeated. "What is okay nowadays?"

"Happy children. Making bonds with each other. Fighting against authority with their friends. Having a good time." David said. "The world. Is not okay."

"How are you so happy?" Max asked.

"I grew up in a good environment. Healthy. I played hero a couple times as a child. And when problems arrive, I try roughing it up and getting through. But I don't think you had the same."

"My parents said I was too fat." Max whispered.

"They said that they were disappointed in me. They compared me to other, healthy kids. They sent me here to not have to bring me to dinner parties over the summer. That's why I hate it so much here. It's just a reminder of how much my own parents hate me."

"My father said the same thing." David said. "My parents divorced when I was young, and I ended up staying with my mother. She taught me that it was okay to do what I want. Be what I want. Eat what I want."

Max gave a long sideline glance at David. "But I had no one."

 _"You do now."_


End file.
